The botanical gardens had begun to empty by the time Jackson and Melissa left the rose garden. The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the winding pathways, while the last few visitors made their way toward the exits. Children who had spent the afternoon chasing birds were now being called back by their parents, and the cheerful chatter that had filled the gardens only an hour earlier was gradually replaced by the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze.
Jackson and Melissa walked side by side without speaking.
Neither of them was in a hurry to leave.
Not because they wanted to linger, but because they both knew that once they stepped outside the gates, reality would come rushing back. Inside the gardens, surrounded by flowers and centuries-old trees, it ha
